Safety mechanism for boats.



P. FORTO.

SAFETY MECHANISM FOR BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED snmazz. 1914.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

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I PATBICK FORTO, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YGRK, ASSIGNOB. 03: ONE-FIFTH TO ANTONI CACGAMISE, ONE-FIFTH TO AH'LQNIO MASUCCI, ONE-FIFTH TO HARRY GERMA- NOWSKIV, AND GIVE-FIFTH TO HARR Y DUCKMAN, ALL OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

SAFETY MECHANISM FOR BOATS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pahgnt ed D 29 1914 Application filed September 22, 1914. Serial No. 862,801.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, PATRICK Fon'ro, of

Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have .invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Mechanisms for Boats, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanyingdrawings.

The present inventionrelates to boats and more particularly to safety mechanisms designed for sustaining a boat in the water when there is a tendency for the boat to sink due to a leak or other causes, an object of the present invention being to provide a mechanism which may be readily brought into operation in the event of an accident to produce a lifting action on the boat to sustain the latter against sinking.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety mechanism which, when not. in use, may be held in such a manner that it will not interfere with the ordinary travel of the boat.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain parts and combinations of parts all of which will be hereinafter de scribed, the novel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

' In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a hull of a boat embodying the present improvements; Fig. 2 is a side view of the hull of a boat showing one of the lifting devices and its hoisting means: Fig. 3 is an end view of the boat hull showing the hoisting means: and Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view through one of the bearings showing the manner of detachably connecting the same with the boat.

The boat which may be of any form and of which only the hull is herein illustrated is provided on each side preferably with a plurality of lifting devices which may be in the form of rotary screws or propellers 1. The number and size of these propellers will be determined by the weight of the boat but preferablv a plurality is arranged on each side of the boat, some near the bow, and others near the stern so that they lie on opposite sides of a center line transversely of the boat. These lifting screws or propellers turn about upright axes and tend to sustain the boat against sinking when an accident occurs. Preferably, these lifting devices are so mounted that they may be moved out of operative position in order that they will notretard or interfere with the movement of the boat during ordinary travel. In this instance, the lifting screws are detachably mounted and, to this end, the boat hull is provided onits sides with a number of seats 2 which are in the form of tapering sockets for receiving wedgeshaped port ons 3 on bearing blocks 4, the wedge-shaped portions being held within the tapered sockets 8 by any suitable means as, for instance, a cross pin 5 which passes transversely through the socket piece 2 above the wedge piece 3. The shaft 6, to the lower end of which the lifting screw 1 is rigidly secured, turns within the bearing block 4: and is held against axial movement in the latter by collars 7 on said shaft 6 or other suitable means.

Preferably two lifting screws are arranged in a single plane transverselv of the ship and on opposite sides of the latter so that a single shaft 8 may be emploved for dri ing the two lifting screws. this shaft preferably being arranged on the main deck of the boat and having beveled pinions 9 at its end meshing with beveled pinions 10 on the ends of the shafts 6. the pinions 10 being above the pinions 9 so that. when the pins or bars 5 are removed. the shafts 6 with their lifting screws 1 and bearings 4 mav be detached from the sockets 2. this preferably being accomplished by a lifting mechanism to be described.

The shafts 8 ma'v be driven by a motor or engine 11 arranged upon the main deck of the vessel and preferably separate from the motor or engine which dpives the propelling means of the boat so that, if the latter engine be out of order, the auxiliary motor may be emploved for operating the safety mechanism, the motor being connected by belts 12 or other suitable means with the shafts 8.

With the purpose in view of readily connecting or disconnecting the lifting devices from the hull of the boat. a hoisting mechanism for each pair of lifting devices is employed which preferably is in the form of a suitable winding drum 13 on the main deck of the boat having two cables 14 passed about the same and leading upwardly therefrom to pulleys 15 on a frame 16, thence outwardly on said frame to pulleys 17 and finally downwardly to eyes 18 on the bearing 4.

7 During the ordinary travel of the boat, the lifting devices are supported, say on the main deck of the boat or on the outrigging where they will not retard the movement of the boat through the water., Should a leak occur or for any other cause, there is a liability for the boat to sink, the safety mech anism is brought into operation. This being effected by lowering the lifting devices by means of the hoisting mechanism so that the wedge-shaped portions 3 enter the sockets 2 where they will be held by the pins 5. The motor 11 is then started to drive the lifting devices which when rotating tend to sustain the boat in the water. a

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

' 51. In combination with a boat, a safety mechanism comprising lifting screws arranged on each slde of said boat to turn tachably arranged on the sides of the boat,

and hoisting mechanism for moving said screws to inoperative position.

4:. In combination with a I mechanism comprising lifting screws, hearing for said screws movably'mounted on the sides of the boat and from which the screws boat, a. safety.

depend, and mechanism for moving said hearings to carry the screws away from operatlve positions.

H -IATRICK FORTO.

Witnesses:

H. H. SIMMs,

ADA M. WHITMORE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, bya'ddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. 

